Button-shoe



O. D. RANDALL.

BUTTQN SHOE. No. 340,924. Patented Apr. 27, 1886.

(No Model.)

*N. PETERS. Pheno-hhidgppher. Wadington, n. a

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

OTIS D. RANDALL, OF AUSTIN, ILLINOIS.

BUTTON-SHOE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 340,924, dated April 27, 1886.

Application .filed July 6, 1885. Serial No. 170,754. (No model.)

To (ZZZ whom it may concern.-

,Be it known that I, OTIS D. RANDALL, a citizen of lhe United States, residing at Austin. in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Button-Shoes, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to so construct button-shoes that they may be buttoned and unbuttoned with much greater facility than heretofore, and in such a position of the body of the wearer that all weight is removed from the foot, and consequently all strain due to such weight removed from the shoe.

As button-shoes have always heretofore been made, the buttons are placed upon the outside of the instep, while the flap containing the button-holes is attached to the upper of the shoe at a point near the middle of the instep-- that is to say, the buttons of the right foot will be located on the right side of the instep, and those for the shoe of the left foot will be on the left side of the shoe. With the buttons thus placed it is almost impossible for a person wearing the shoes to button or unbutton them, except when the feet are resting upon the floor or a stool or chair. This requires the wearer to assume a position which, especially if he be corpulent, is extremely inconvenient and uncomfortable.

My invention consists of a shoe constructed with a foxing consisting of two parts, one part forming the portion of the foxing on the outer side of the shoe, and the other part forming the main portion of the foxing on the inner side, and with an overlapping flap provided with button-holes and adapted to but-ton upon the inside of the shoe.

While the old arrangement may be, in fact, more convenient to button when buttoned by another person than the wearer, with the but tonsarranged on the inside of the foot the shoe is much more easily buttoned and unbuttoned by the wearer. The latter arrangement not only enables the wearer to more easily reach and manipulate the buttons, but, in addition to this, it is possible for him to easily reach the buttons while holding his foot in such a position that the shoe is entirely relieved of the-weight of the body and the shoe from strain. A better fit is thus possible to the' shoe, because it is buttoned without strain. In the accompanying drawings, which form apart of this specification, and in which similar letters of reference indicate like parts, Figure 1 represents the lower portion of the body of a man wearing a pair of shoes constructed in accordance with my invention, seated and holding one foot in the position in which the shoe is most easily buttoned and unbuttoned. Fig. 2 is a top View of my button-shoe on a somewhat larger scale; and Fig. 3 is a side view, on asimilar scale, of a shoe made in accordance with my invention.

In the said drawings, A represents the shoe,

and B B the foxing thereof. The part B is placed upon the outer side of the shoe, and the part B upon the inner side of the shoe, it forming the main portion of the foXing on that side.

D is the flap, and E the buttons. The fiap is attached at its lower extremity to the upper of the shoe at a point, (2, which, instead of being placed near the middle of the instep, as usual, and as shown in Fig. 2, is also on the inner side of the shoe, as shown in Fig. 3, so that when the shoe is upon the foot of the wearer this point d is far enough toward the inner side of the shoe to substantially lie over the vertical portion of the foot at the inner side of the lower part of the instep. In other words, this point is almost entirely at the inner side of the shoe. Thisinsures the flap lying snugly against the side of the shoe when the shoe is buttoned.

By crossing one foot over the knee of the other leg and resting it thereonin the manner illustrated in Fig. 1 a person wearing shoes having the buttons applied to the inner side thereof may readily button or unbutton the same with ease and comfort.

I do not claim the application of fastenings tothe inner side of shoes, broadly, for I am aware that it is not entirely new; but

I claim- A shoe constructed with a foxing consisting of the parts B B, the part B forming the 1301*. tion of the foxing on the outer side of the shoe, and the part B the main portion of the foxing on the opposite side, and with the overlapping button-flap D, attached to the part B on a front central line, substantially as shown, provided with button-holes, and adapted to button upon the inner side of the shoe to the portion B, substantially as described.

Witnesses: OTIS D. RANDALL.

H. M. MUNDAY, CHAS. J. BAUR.

IOU 

